Firearms have been used prominently worldwide for centuries for various applications such as military, personal protection, hunting, and recreation. A shotgun refers to a particular type of firearm which simultaneously fires multiple pellets with each discharge of the firearm. The arrangement in which these discharged pellets strike the target is most often referred to as the pattern of the shot.
Many devices (e.g., chokes) have been developed that alter the flight paths of pellets that are fired from a shotgun such that the pattern is smaller or larger than it would be without utilizing such a device. Other devices were developed specifically for the U.S. Navy Sea, Air, and Land Special Operations teams (“SEALs”) during the U.S. war in Vietnam, which were designed to form an elongated pattern when the shotgun was discharged. These types of devices are generally referred to as duckbill chokes, because of their slight resemblance to a duck's bill. However, these devices have been plagued with reliability and durability issues. As a result, many individuals who have utilized such devices have experienced catastrophic failures due to their shortcomings.